Either of these favorite doggie treats — or both — are among the many pet supplies you can donate when you shop at a Weis market during the month of May.

For Weis Markets’ fifth annual Paws for Pets collection, customers may purchase any item from the pet aisle, from toys to food and water bowls, or cleaning items like mops and dishwashing liquid, and drop it in a cart located near the checkout.

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Monetary donations are also accepted, with the purchase of vouchers for $1, $3 or $5 and Paws for Pets bracelets for $1.

The entire donation caboodle will go to the Montgomery County SPCA.

“We have 164 stores and about 100 shelters that benefit from this, and everything that is raised at a particular store will go to a local shelter,” said Dennis Curtin, Weis director of public relations.

“And during the month we will also host events at our stores where the shelter will show up and have a little display table and may even bring a couple of adoptable animals with them.”

Curtin said the program has been immensely satisfying for employees and customers from the outset.

“It’s been successful, and that’s important, but it’s interesting to see how people respond. There are a lot of people with pets who are members of the family and when they see a cause like this, they want to help.”

Last year, Paws for Pets raised about $194,000 all around — almost double the amount raised in 2011.

“I’m estimating that over the five-year period we’ve raised $600,000 or $700,000 for local pet shelters,” said Curtin. “I’ve seen relatively modest stores where the Paws for Pets totals were off the charts, exceeding far bigger stores with higher volume. I remember calling the stores to find out what happened and found that the (smaller stores) had some cashiers and front end monitors who had pets and worked as volunteers at shelters and they really talked up the program. And that’s what we’ve seen.”

Sadly, every shelter has been hit hard in the last few years, as there are many people who regard the furry member of the family as dispensable when times get a little rough.

“As the economy turned in 2007 and is slowly coming back, shelters have seen a tremendous surge in people turning over their pets, saying they can’t afford to feed them,” Curtin said. “And this is a time when they really need support.”